Todt presidency faces challenge

2013-08-30 08:17

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TODT PRESIDENCY CHALLENGED: FIA president Jean Todt will have a powerful rival should he decide to stand for re-election, as David Ward announced his candidacy to run motorsport's world governing body. Image: AFP

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LONDON, England - Current International Automobile Federation president Jean Todt will have a powerful rival if he stands for re-election.

The challenger will be federation veteran David Ward who on August 29 2013, announced his candidacy to run motorsport's world governing body. He said he would resign as director-general of the federation's foundation after 12 years and throwing his hat into the ring.

Todt (67 has yet to confirm publicly that will stand for re-election although all the signs point to him doing so.‘CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION IS TO RESIGN’

Ward (56) said: "After much careful thought I have decided to stand. The election period begins in September and it will be necessary for me to approach federation members to secure nominations. The correct course of action is to resign."

The federation, founded in 1904, groups more than 230 national motoring and sporting organisations in more than 135 countries and oversees Formula 1, World rallying, Endurance and Touring Car championships.

Ward was a key adviser to former federation president Max Mosley. He has overseen the foundation since it was set up in 2001 as an independent charitable body with a focus on road safety and the environment.

He was also a policy adviser to the late British Labour Party leader John Smith who died in 1994, and was then director-general of the federation's bureau in Brussels.

Todt, Ferrari team principal when Michael Schumacher was at his most dominant in the early years of the century, was elected president of the Paris-based organisation in 2009 after comfortably beating Finland's World Rally champion Ari Vatanen in the vote.

NEW CONCORDE AGREEMENT

He has made road safety a priority and has maintained a low-key presence at F1 races.

The sport is still waiting for a new "Concorde Agreement", the confidential document underpinning the commercial side of F1, to be signed. The previous one expired at the end of 2012.

F1's tyre supplier Pirelli is also waiting for the federation to sign a contract for 2014, the year in which V6 engines will be introduced.

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